ABSTRACT
Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 153 is a late ninth- or early tenth-century copy of Martianus Capella, De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii, originally produced in Wales, but brought to England early in its history and supplemented there. First, one must note that De nuptiis was one of the most ambitious and extensive works of allegory composed in the late antique world. Martianus was North African (from modern-day Algeria) and is thought to have worked as a jurist, although from De nuptiis it is clear that he was also trained in the Platonic tradition espoused by Plotinus. His description of Philologia, pale-faced from her study of the universe, gives some sense of the tone of his composition as well as of the full and subtle characterization of Philology herself as the young, female embodiment of scholarly knowledge. The Corpus Martianus Capella is a significant evidence that medieval Welsh texts were read on the basis of surviving manuscript evidence.
